Honda continues to struggle with rear grip: "That is the nightmare for everyone"

– Honda continues to work intensively in the 2026 MotoGP season to find its way back to the top. Although the riders are optimistic after the latest updates, a central problem remains: the lack of rear-wheel grip.

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Especially at the first season stop in Buriram, it became clear that while the progress is real, the decisive final steps are still missing.

Honda rider Luca Marini sees definitely positive developments. “The bike is good, we have found more performance,” explains the Italian. At the same time, however, he emphasizes that the most important area of work remains unchanged: “We must continue to work on our main goal, and that is rear-wheel grip.” Updates are already planned, he announced, but the project still needs some time.

Marini: Cannot exploit soft tires

The fact that Honda has not yet been able to fully solve the problem despite improvements in many other areas surprises observers. Marini himself confirms upon inquiry that he knows the reasons for this, but does not go into detail.

For him, it is clear above all when the weakness is particularly evident: when using new soft rear tires. “We cannot exploit the potential of the fresh tire,” he explains. With the medium tire, the gap to the top is smaller.

Therefore, Honda must work on making the rear tire work better, especially for qualifying laps and the first laps in the sprint race, when the soft tire is normally used, Marini warns.

Strong vibrations from 2025 are a thing of the past

While grip continues to cause concern, another problem from the previous year seems to be largely solved: the strong vibrations that Honda riders frequently complained about during the 2025 season. Marini describes the issue as “completely solved.” He didn’t want to leave it at that in absolute terms—it still depends somewhat on the track and tires—but the progress is clearly recognizable.

According to Marini, the path there was multi-layered. A decisive factor was the work on the set-up. At the beginning of last season, the setup was still heavily influenced by the 2024 bike. “So we had to work on it, and in the second half of the season it was better,” said the Italian.

In addition, there was an adjustment of the riding style to be less aggressive when turning in and thus avoid the vibrations. “Because if we ride much more aggressively, for example with a lot of rear brake, then the vibrations occur.”

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“When we ride smoother, the vibrations are lower. That’s why I was the rider with the lowest vibrations throughout the entire last season, because I rode smoother,” Marini explains. In the meantime, the other Honda riders have also adopted this approach more strongly, and together with the set-up improvements, the bike now works better for the entire squad.

Mir: Not yet competitive everywhere

Teammate Joan Mir sees the situation similarly, if also with a somewhat more sober view. Set-up work can sometimes hide problems, says the 2020 world champion. But if mechanical grip is missing, it is hard to compensate for.

“If you have too much grip, you can compensate for it very well with the set-up. But if you have none, it’s difficult to get it,” the Honda rider knows. And missing mechanical grip is “everyone’s nightmare.” Nevertheless, the Spaniard currently feels comfortable and strong on the bike.

However, Honda still needs to eliminate some weak points to be consistently competitive on all tracks. The comparison between the two test tracks of the pre-season clearly shows the problem: in Sepang, Honda was fast, in Buriram significantly less so. “That is our reality at the moment,” says Mir.

Will Honda still achieve the breakthrough in 2026?

But the current gap also gives him hope. Because the distance to the top is still relatively large and thus also the possible progress: “I hope we improve. We are quite far away, what means the margin is large.”

LCR rider Johann Zarco also confirms the impression that Honda has taken a step forward but is not yet at the goal. The Frenchman answers the question about the rear-wheel grip problems with a certain pragmatism.

“Rear-wheel grip problems are a life problem for riders,” he jokes. The situation at Honda is, in a way, a “yes and no”: the bike is better than last year, but at the same time, something still seems to be missing.

Thus, a mixed picture is emerging at Honda. The progress is visible: more performance, fewer vibrations, a better overall feeling on the bike. But as long as there is a lack of rear-wheel grip, especially with the soft tire, the step towards the top group remains difficult.

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